Teeth wanted in dog laws

Press, 31 August 1977, Page 11

Teeth wanted

in dog laws

A Paparua County Councillor thinks there should be a change in the law on vicious dogs, to make it easier for persons bitten by them to take action against the dog or the owner — to the extent of shooting the dog.

The council’s finance committee was told by its chief hydatids control officer (Mr C. P. Catchpole) that one street in the county was particularly bad for vicious dogs. People had been bitten while walking down the street even at night, he said. He confirmed a report from Councillor J. C. Wilson that a child had recently been badly bitten. Mr Catchpole said the matter was out of the council’s hands once a person had been bitten; the only redress was to put the matter in the hands of the police. But often the police could do nothing, because the complainant must identify the dog involved, “We’ve got our priorities all wrong,” said Council or

E. C. Britnell. “If a dog worries sheep, the fanner can shoot it, but if it bites a person there’s nothing that can be done about it. “Make no mistake, I’m not criticising our staff, it’s the law that’s all wrong. If the owner of the sheep can shoot the dog, why can’t the owner of the child?” he said.

Mr Catchpole: “For a start, you can’t shoot at something in a built-up area.” He said it was not uncommon for a person who had been bitten to telephone the council to ask whether a dog was kept at a particular address in an attempt to establish its identity. Mr Catchpole said that his staff caught stray dogs every day, and although dogs had been impounded in the last month, there were a good many which were impossible to catch.

“They are loose all the time, and are chased by everybody they come across. It is impossible for us to get near them,” he said.